August 2010

August 31, 2010

Shoe fanatics may not realize that the luxury shoe brand Delman has been in existence for over 90 years. Founded in 1918 by Herman Delman, the New York company quickly grew into a sought after status brand. By 1931, The New Yorker reported that Delman sold 2,000 pairs of shoes each week.1 Customers included Adele Astaire (sister to Fred), Mary Pickford, Marlene Dietrich, Audrey Hepburn and Irene Castle. Delman's Madison Avenue shoe salon was styled like a "Louis XVI-style gallery, where shoes were displayed like works of art."2 Stamped Delman labels inside each shoe reinforced the idea that Delman produced unique and valuable art objects. This unmistakable logo, of a seated woman being fitted for a pair of shoes, was unique in an era when shoes were typically labeled with the name of the retailer, not the designer.

Though Herman Delman designed shoes in the early years, he also hired many individuals who went on to become noted designers in their own right. Herbert and Beth Levine designed shoes for Delman, along with Kenneth Jay Lane and Roger Vivier. For several years in the early 1950s, Roger Vivier designed for both Delman and Christian Dior, resulting in shoes labeled Delman-Christian Dior.

Though Delman produced practical and elegant day shoes of leather, Delman shoes intended for evening feature striking color combinations and eye-catching surface embellishment. In the early 1930s, Delman created "aluminum-painted shoes for dark nights, shoes ornamented with ground glass, or...rhinestones and sapphires."3 A pair of Delman evening shoes from 1958 were crafted from tangerine, royal blue and emerald green satin with a purple suede heel. This pair of Delman evening heels and matching clutch are entirely covered with iridescent rhinestones, tiny seed pearls and dots of velvet flocking.

August 26, 2010

Interns and volunteers are an integral part of the FIDM Museum. From conducting curatorial research to sewing labels in garments, assisting with organizational projects and helping out during exhibit installation, interns and volunteers offer invaluable support to our many activities. We have been extremely fortunate to work with a number of dedicated volunteers and interns over the years. In this post, intern Daniel Mejia describes some of the contributions he made to the FIDM Museum during his summer 2010 internship.

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I contacted the FIDM Museum hoping they would take a chance on a Slavic Studies major with no real experience in fashion, but a passion for museums. Luckily, the Museum took me on as a summer intern, and I got to work on some really interesting projects. This post will focus on the some of the research that I did.

First off, I researched the copyright status of certain images. This was an amazing opportunity because I will be attending law school in the fall, with the ultimate goal of working as a lawyer for museums. Museums face legal issues all the time, and, of these issues, copyright law is one of the most common and often one of the most difficult to navigate. It can be hard to know whether an illustration found in a magazine or a photograph in a museum’s collection can be freely reproduced. Copyrights are separate from the objects and images to which they apply, so, for example, just because a museum owns an original photograph does not necessarily mean it owns the copyright to the image. Museums must be vigilant about making sure they have the right to reproduce any image that appears in their publications, whether this means acquiring the copyright, requesting permission from the copyright holder, or determining that the copyright has expired. Here are a few examples of copyright situations.

August 25, 2010

First appearing in the 1860s, the Norfolk jacket is a durable, loose fitting jacket designed to provide ease of movement to hunters and sportsmen. Deriving its name from the Duke of Norfolk, the jacket was reputedly created specifically for the Duke at his request. Other origin stories suggest that the Norfolk jacket was created for the Prince of Wales, but somehow became linked with the Duke of Norfolk. Regardless of its origins, the characteristics of the Norfolk jacket made it ideal for outdoor and sporting pursuits, specifically hunting. Constructed from rough woolen fabrics and buttoning to the collar, the jacket was extremely warm and durable. With a center back and two front pleats allowing for easy arm movements and large patch pockets providing extra storage, it was widely adopted as sportswear or casual day wear by gentlemen of leisure when vacationing in the country.

Paired with a cap, short knickerbockers, rough woolen stockings and sturdy short boots, the Norfolk jacket was suitable only for informal rural settings. Unlike an urban suit, Norfolk jackets weren't always paired with matching trousers. Though fashion plates indicate the existence of matched Norfolk suits, the jacket was also worn with knickerbockers cut from a different fabric. Color also marked the Norfolk jacket as a casual garment. Unlike urban suits, which were almost uniformly black during the late 19th century, Norfolk jackets were usually made from rustic woolen fabrics in earth tones of green or brown.

Because of their functionality, Norfolk jackets were adopted by sportsmen of all varieties. Always, however, they were associated with the well-to-do, who could afford specialized garb for leisure activities. This fashion plate from May 1901 features a golfer (right) clad in a Norfolk jacket and matching knickerbockers. Dating from roughly 40 years after the origination of the Norfolk jacket, this plate confirms the longevity of the style. The jacket pictured here features all the classic characteristics of the Norfolk jacket, including patch pockets, front box pleats and a self-belt. Notice his cravat pin, a pair of crossed golf clubs.

August 19, 2010

The use of makeup by American women grew exponentially during the first half of the twentieth century. In the beginning of the century, makeup was primarily an urban phenomenon, gradually spreading to other areas through increased marketing and a wider range of available products. By the 1940s, makeup application was a generally accepted part of a woman's daily routine. For many women, however, daily makeup consisted primarily of lipstick, rouge and powder, as the more exotic mascara and eyeshadow were worn primarily by the most daring and fashion forward women. During World War II, wearing makeup was considered almost a patriotic duty for women of the Allied nations. Despite the limitation of some ingredients due to wartime shortages, many types of makeup were widely available.

In the late 1940s, makeup colors and packaging were tuned to seasonal changes in fashion. Women began to purchase specific lipsticks or nail polish for each season, as they did clothing. Packaging was often extravagant and fanciful, as demonstrated by this late 1940s Lucien Lelong lipstick tube.

August 17, 2010

In current usage, a nightgown is a women's or girls' garment worn specifically for sleeping. At different historical periods, the term nightgown referred to a loose gown worn by men, an evening dress worn by women and a day dress. Accordingly, it would have been unremarkable for a woman to appear in public dressed in a nightgown. It would also have been possible for women to "quite modestly go to church in their nightgowns."1

These differing meanings of the word nightgown point to the fact that throughout much of history, specialized garments for sleeping were unusual. Most people probably slept unclothed or wearing some element of their normal day-time dress. By the 16th century, T-shaped nightclothes were commonly worn by men and women. The white cotton nightgown pictured here dates from the 1860s.

August 13, 2010

With it's slope shouldered, close-fitting bodice, wasp waist and extravagantly full skirt, Christian Dior's New Look of 1947 is one of the most distinct and recognizable silhouettes of the twentieth century. In contrast to early 1940s feminine dress, which borrowed heavily from masculine military uniforms, the New Look exaggerated the curves and contours of the feminine form. To create this idealized female body, the New Look relied on a rigid framework of strategically placed padding and boning, not to mention corsets and petticoats. The full skirts of the New Look required a tremendous amount of fabric, up to 15 yards in some cases! After the restrictions and rationing of the World War II years, the New Look was scandalous in its extravagant usage of raw materials and in its presentation of the female body. Though perceived as shockingly new, the New Look was actually a return to physical ideals of the later nineteenth century and a continuation of a trend interrupted by World War II. Despite these precedents, when it appeared in 1947, the New Look was a watershed moment in fashion. Though other silhouettes achieved popularity in the 1950s, the New Look informed (either negatively or positively) all subsequent fashionable silhouettes through the 1960s.

The signature ensemble of the New Look was the Bar suit. A two-piece suit consisting of a pale, fitted jacket with narrow waist, padded hips and a black, mid-calf, knife pleated skirt--the famous mid-1950s image by Willy Maywald often serves as visual shorthand for the New Look. Though this suit was reportedly the best selling item from the first New Look collection, very few existing versions have found their way into museums. (If you happen to have a Bar suit hanging in the back of your closet, feel free to donate it to the FIDM Museum!) Though we don't have an original Bar suit in our collection, we are fortunate to have a replica Bar suit. Sewn from the original pattern pieces, it was donated to the FIDM Museum by Marc Bohan (then chief designer for Christian Dior) in 1981. Though many museums choose not to accession replica artifacts, we did so in the interest of research. Because we are affiliated with a teaching institution, this iconic garment is an important resource for students and faculty.

Reproduction of the Bar suit designed by Christian Dior 1981 from the 1947 design Silk faille (jacket) and wool crepe (skirt) Gift of Marc Bohan for Christian Dior 79.780.1AB

August 10, 2010

From 1951 to 1958, Ferdinando Sarmi designed made-to-order evening gowns for Elizabeth Arden. These creations were worn by women involved in the social whirl of "great balls, dinner parties, and theatre, opera and music openings throughout the country."1 When Sarmi began designing under his own name in 1959, evening wear continued to be his specialty. A critic reviewing his first eponymous collection wrote, "Sarmi's devotion to beauty is at its ultimate" when designing evening wear.2 The strapless silk gown pictured above bears several hallmarks of Sarmi's designs, including a floral patterned textile in a pale palette, and a coordinating wrap. It may be one of Sarmi's final designs for Elizabeth Arden, as one of his last collections for the company consisted primarily of Empire waist evening and ball gowns.

August 05, 2010

Careful storage and handling is key to the preservation of any museum collection. In this post, Christina Johnson discusses how garments, textiles and accessories can be harmed by inappropriate storage materials. Before recently taking on the position of Associate Curator, Christina Johnson was the FIDM Museum Collections Manager for seven years.

The FIDM Museum Conservation Collection is a collection of problematic storage materials and non-accessioned damaged objects, as well as pieces with inherent vice. It is used to instruct people about museum collections management and
preventative conservation for garments, accessories, and textiles. I founded this collection at the FIDM Museum after learning a great deal from a similar group of items used as part of my New York University Costume Studies graduate conservation class, taught by Chris Paulocik, Conservator at The Costume Institute, Metropolitan Museum of Art. FIDM Museum staff members use The Conservation Collection when teaching community workshops focused on the basic care and handling of costume and textiles. These hands-on teaching tools are beneficial not only to fellow museum employees who wish to learn storage basics, but also to people who care for family collections of cherished heirloom garments.

What follows is a selection of storage materials and damaged objects comprising a portion of the Conservation Collection. These pieces have either been de-accessioned out of our Permanent Collection, or donated to us over the years. Museum storage standards are constantly evolving. What might be thought of as archival storage or appropriate use in the past, such as modeling museum garments, or allowing non-museum professionals to exhibit pieces, is no longer acceptable in our field. One of the shoes below was displayed in sunlight for an extended period of time, while the other was not, accounting for the extreme color discrepancy between the pair.

August 03, 2010

Dani Killam, Assistant Registrar, wrote this post about the process of packing an exhibit for shipment to another museum. To read more about how we organize and prep for this process, read our recent post Traveling in High Style.

“It’s a puzzle!” This phrase is often used in the FIDM Museum office when talking about organizing the collection. The packing and shipping process for High Style: Betsy Bloomingdale and Haute Couture was no exception. Packing each box offered its own unique challenge, while still fitting within the larger puzzle. All the crates were finally shipped out to the American Textile History Museum in Lowell, Massachusetts last week. It took two full weeks of non-stop packing to complete the hands-on task of getting all objects ready for the trip across country. High Style will be on exhibit at the ATHM from August 14, 2010 until January 2, 2011.

The shipment consisted of framed works of different sizes, loose ephemera, miscellaneous items and the actual garments that all needed particular and separate attention during the packing process. Once it was determined which box and in what order the garment was going to be packed, there was a quick discussion as to what the garment required for optimal storage during shipment. This green chiffon gown by Marc Bohan for Christian Dior seemed like it was to be one of the easier pieces to pack because of its silhouette and space requirements.